I was reading a post by ChgoJohn a few weeks back about how he makes beef and chicken jerky for his beloved Max. It was a bit of a coincidence because, at a recent family gathering, my niece, Fleur, was handing out jerky she had made. I had never tasted it before. It tasted pretty good.
It got me thinking. I have been drying liver for my dogs for years but had never thought of drying meat. Obviously, dried meat is going to cost more than dried liver but, as John mentioned, you can use cheap cuts of meat (as long as it is not fatty). I had a topside in the freezer, so that is what I used.
John doesn’t have a dehydrator so, if you don’t have one either and are keen to make jerky, you should check out his post. Here is the link.
I followed the same technique I use for drying liver.
- Take the meat out of the freezer a few hours before you want to make the treats. You want it still frozen but soft enough to cut. It is so much easier to cut it when it is semi-frozen.
- When the meat is slightly defrosted, slice it crossways into 2-3mm slices (basically, as thinly as possible). Place it on a tray lined with baking paper. (It is important to use baking paper. The meat will stick to plastic wrap and grease-proof paper.)
- Dry the meat in a dehydrator until it is completely dry, 8 – 12 hours. You don’t want any moisture left because it will go mouldy.
- Store in an airtight container.
Our dogs love it.
Passion Fruit Garden 
My dog has walked 2kms for this treat – all by herself to friends 🙂
Then you should make some for her. That is a long walk for a little dog:)
Hi Glenda
Dehydrator just arrived so our babies “Harry” & “Bella” are now going to have home-made treats.Yipee. Will be making your recipe very shortly.
Deb the Gourmet Chef from Shakespeare Street.!!!!!!!!
Hi Deb the Gourmet Chef, read any good recipes lately? What are you going to make first? I would give liver treats a burl. Their love for you will have no bounds:)
I’m so glad you not only liked the recipe but chose to blog about it. These are so much healthier than some that are mass produced and the more people that know of the recipe, the better. Thank you, too, for your kind mention of my blog, Glenda.
Hi John. Thanks for the good idea. It is so simple, I am embarrassed that I never thought of it myself. The troops love it.
I bet my kitties would love this too!
🙂 Mandy
Hi Mandy. I bet they would too or dried fish… Have you ever dried fish for them?
My cats have the strangest palettes and only seem to want fish fresh – fussy little things, oh no, sorry, I mean spoilt. 😉
Ah, now that would be their mum’s fault:) Not that my three babies aren’t spoil.
Biltong (Beef Jerky) is a national passion here in South Africa and is consumed in great quantities! We love making our own http://blogs.food24.com/sous-chef/category/biltong-making/ in our Biltong maker, we also dry fruit in it.
Hi Sue, I know it is very popular in SA but for some reason it is not very popular in Australia. It is very interesting how different food cultures develop.